Tifa's accident
by thelionheartedgirl
Summary: Tifa accidentally falls on Zacks sword and gets it dirty! Will Cloud be able to forgive her? I suck at summaries, my second ever fanfic! Totally plotless, read at your peril... "


**Tifa's accident**

***Inspiration strike in the most random of places. This time it was in the shower, meaning I had to run around like a madwoman trying to dry my hair and write this up before I forgot the plot!!! My second ever fanfic, this was much easier to write than the first! constructive critiscism NO FLAMING!!!***

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Tifa marched solemnly up the hill to the cliff where Zack's sword was buried into the grass. She wondered silently whether Cloud was bothered by how much wear, tear and rust it now was covered in. She sighed and shook her head in disappointment, and made a mental note to talk to him about it later. She respectfully laid a pretty yellow tulip that she and Marlene had picked at Aerith's church by the sword, and slowly got up and turned to leave, but was so enveloped in her thoughts that she didn't notice the small pebble hiding just in front of her in the tall grass. She gasped in shock as she slipped on it, her arms flailing wildly to attempt to regain her balance, but her efforts were in vain and she felt as if she were falling in slow motion towards the sword. She let out a startled cry as her left arm was sliced open by the sharp end of the blade, leaving her sitting on the floor cradling her injured arm and staring wide eyed with guilt at the huge sword beside her, now dripping with warm, red blood. Her blood. She bit her lip in horror as the events of the past ten seconds finally began to sink in. Cloud was going to be furious with her! Desperate to hide the incident from him, she began wiping off the blood with the sleeve of her jacket, staining it a deep, sticky scarlet.

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Meanwhile, Cloud was lost in his thoughts, recalling the events of his life since he had left his hometown, Nibelheim, as he made his way up the hill to the cliff he quite often visited when he needed time to think. A noise from ahead interrupted his reminisce and, suspicious, he unsheathed his sword, the First Tsuragi, ready to strike with it at a moments notice. He advanced slowly and cautiously up the hill, until he realised that the sound was not that of an enemy, but of his old friend Tifa Lockheart, who he had recently started helping out at her bar, Seventh Heaven. Relaxing slightly, he re-sheathed the sword clutched in his hand and rushed forward, fuelled by curiosity and concern. After all, it was not often that you heard Tifa Lockheart cry like that.

He frowned anxiously as he discovered her kneeling in front of Zack's sword, sobbing madly and wiping it with the sleeve of the jacket he had given her as a present for her birthday. He stepped silently towards her, desperate to know what she was doing, and then stopped dead in his tracks a few paces behind her. His mouth dropped open at the sight of the blood dripping from the blade onto the now ruby red grass below. "Tifa...!" She whirled round at the sound of his voice, and he was shocked to see that her face was blotchy and red, tears streaming down her face like melting crystals. "Oh, Cloud... I'm so sorry...!" She whispered, guilt clear in her voice. He glanced at her arm which she was clutching, and saw the blood gushing from a deep wound that ran from her shoulder to her elbow. He crouched down in front of her so his face was level with hers and put a reassuring hand on her good shoulder. "It's okay Tifa, it was an accident right?" She nodded sadly in reply but avoided making eye contact. "But... I got it dirty! I thought you would be angry with me. I... I know how important this sword is to you, and I couldn't bear to upset you by ruining it... I'm sorry..." She trailed off, her eyes still fixed firmly on the grass at her knees. "Huh. Well, the sword can wait. Right now you're my top priority, so let's get back to Seventh Heaven and maybe Marlene can help me bandage your arm up. It looks like a pretty nasty cut you've got there."

"But I..." Cloud cut her off "Tifa, the sword can be cleaned. People aren't so easily fixed. Come on, let's go." She nodded gratefully, thankful that he had forgiven her for the horrible thing she had done. She followed him back to Fenrir with no complaint, but cast one final glance over her shoulder at the enormous, bloodstained sword before turning away, and decided to put the past behind her.


End file.
